Hi, I really learned a lot from this tut. I used to swear by layer masks + calligraphy/basic brushes for cutting things out. I'm still learning the pen tool, but I think it'll be a lot faster once I master it! It's tricky getting the path exact sometimes still. Thank you so much!

very glad to hear that you were able to add something to your skill set - knowing the pen tool is certainly valiable, but in some cases the brush method you mentioned will still be able to save your day

What program is this? I use Smart Scissors from fotoflxer to make my manips, but sometimes fotoflxer just wont cooperate. I have problemssaving,cutting, loading. It's annoying. Myonly other option is picnik/GIMP 2.6

Great tutorial. I'll definitely try this just so I can get more practice with PS's pen tool. Currently I use Corel to extract images seeing as it is what I learned with and I am really efficient with it. I then save the image as a transparent PNG or as a PSD and import it back into PS.

When I get more time, I will certainly be giving this a more thorough read. I hate the Pen Tool no matter what program it's in, generally, but this makes using it in Photoshop a lot less scary. Thanks so much for making this!

It's not a deviation here since it's just a signature for a forum I'm a part of, but I thought I'd oblige anyhow since it helped a lot. The only thing I think you could make more clear in this tutorial, now that I've used it, is how to open the window once your path is closed to "Make a Selection." It took me some guessing until I finally hit Ctrl and saw those options appear.

Anyway, it helped me out a lot on this signature (great for cutting the mascots out of their original photos and adding gradients/blurs into the background). I'll be using this method when the time comes. Thanks again!

thanks soooo much!! but im confused... cuz i tried it on a horse picture... i put the path around it and everything and then i go to the part where the background turns white... but its not clear... so im confused on how i am supposed to paste the horse onto a background... please help... cuz i don't want to waste all the time i spent on making the paht for nothing

On one hand, I of course want others to be able to use this on a different programme - but on the other, I can't imagine the programmes are that different that a rewrite is needed to make it usable for those who don't use Photoshop. So, feel free to create your own tutorial about the pen tool in PSP, but I think a 1-to-1 rewrite is a waste of your time.

I have a question... kind of unrelated to the pen tool use though. How do you make the cool looking green letters effect at the bottom?I suck at making nice effects to text, so knowing something like that can come in handy!